LA Bachelorette Party
by nherbie
Summary: Shelton Universe #6. Kensi's friends throw her a bachelorette party.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Deeks entered the Mission, alone. Kensi had the last few days leading up to the wedding off and was currently out with her mother for a final fitting of her wedding dress, a dress he had yet to see, even though he'd tried his best to talk her into at least letting him see a picture of it. He'd pulled out all the stops, puppy dog eyes and everything else he could think of. Nothing had worked on her or Julia, both of them telling him he'd just have to wait for the wedding. Technically, he was off as well, but was bored at home. He had his tuxedo for the wedding and everything was in place. He didn't know why Kensi was so nervous.

He found himself humming 'Here Comes the Bride', along with snippets of a song he'd secretly written for her. Chris and the rest of the band had been practicing it for a couple weeks. Similar to Cassie and Paula's wedding, they were playing at the upcoming wedding as their gift to the two of them. His song was the song that would be played when he and Kensi danced their first dance as husband and wife, in place of the one the two of them had agreed on. He didn't think she'd mind. He stopped short, realizing he was going to be a married man in just four days. A small frisson of fear went through him, immediately followed by a flood of happiness. In just four short days she'd be Kensi Marie Blye-Deeks. How the hell had he gotten so lucky?

He started walking, a bounce in his step, then stopped again as he caught sight of Nell and Sheila in a heated, albeit, quiet discussion just outside the bullpen. He changed direction, heading towards them, eager to find out why the usually unflappable Sheila seemed so agitated. She caught sight of him heading their way and said something to Nell. Nell turned and went bright red when she, too, caught sight of him.

"Hey Nell, Sheila. What's up?"

"Up? Nothing's up, Deeks. What's up with you? Aren't you supposed to be on vacation?" Nell answered nervously. He cocked his head at her, his expression showing he didn't believe her and that he knew she was trying to distract him. "Look, it's just some girl talk about the wedding, that's all."

"Then why did it look like the two of you were upset? Is something wrong?" He wasn't going to let this go.

"No, of course nothing's wrong! We were just trying to figure out where to go for Kensi's bachelorette party tomorrow night and we couldn't agree on where. That's all." Sheila stepped in, earning a grateful look from Nell.

"I thought that was all set? That you had a place booked already?"

"We did but somehow the reservation got messed up." Nell said. Sheila nodded her head in agreement.

"Oh. Well, you guys can always just hang out at our place."

"No, no, that's okay, we'll find a suitable replacement. Thanks though!" Nell said and the two woman turned and scurried away, Sheila back into wardrobe and Nell heading upstairs to Ops. He watched them go, finding their behavior odd. He shook himself a little. Maybe he was just paranoid after what had happened last weekend during his bachelor party in Vegas. He put it out of his mind and headed to his desk to catch up on some paperwork he wanted to get done before he and Kensi headed to Hawaii for their honeymoon. Hetty had worked her usual magic and had given them a week's stay at a beautiful villa right on the beach as a wedding gift, being very mysterious about it, stating only that it belonged to a 'friend'.

He sat down and booted up his laptop, starting on the first report that was overdue. After working for a couple of hours, he stood and stretched. He was done and could leave without anything hanging over his head. He lowered his arms and realized he hadn't seen either Sam or Callen the whole time he'd been there. He assumed they were in the gym or at the firing range, seeing as the team was on stand down with two members on vacation. He decided to go find them, see what they were up to. He figured he'd head towards the gym first as that was the most likely place they'd be.

He could hear them as he approached and went into stealth mode, hoping to sneak up on them. When he got to the entrance, he watched the two men as they warily circled each other. Okay, hand to hand combat training. He watched for his opening and, just as Sam was about to pounce, his back to Deeks, he walked in and said loudly. "Hey guys, what's up?" Sam jerked around in surprise and Callen took advantage, doing a leg sweep that sent the bigger man to the floor.

Callen threw his arms up and yelled. "I win! King of the gym!"

Sam got up from the floor and glared at his partner. "That's not fair! Deeks distracted me!"

"You need to be more aware of your surroundings and not let your attention wander when you're in a fight Sam. If I was one of the bad guys, you'd be dead right now." Callen smirked at him.

"Well, you aren't and I knew that! Deeks isn't even supposed to be here today so I wasn't expecting to hear him."

"Trade craft, Sam, trade craft. You always need to be focused during a fight."

"Fine. Best two out of three?"

"I think I'll take my win and hit the showers." Callen wasn't about to let Sam back in the game. It was rare he won in hand to hand with his partner and he was going to take a win any way he could get it. He turned to Deeks. "Sam has a point Deeks, what are you doing here? Don't you have something weddingish to be doing?"

"Nah, I'm all ready and Kensi is out with her mom. Figured I'd come in and clean up some stuff so I can enjoy my week in paradise without worrying about what I'm coming home to." He replied.

Sam walked over and clapped him on the back. "Good idea man." He looked closely at Deeks. "You nervous?"

"No, should I be?"

"Dude, you're getting married in just a few days, hell yes, you should be nervous." Sam laughed.

Deeks shrugged. "Well, I'm not! Excited, yes, nervous, no." The three laughed and talked a bit more about the upcoming wedding before the two older men headed into the showers. Deeks looked around the empty gym and decided now would be as good a time to head home as any. He left the area, humming his song again under his breath. He was just about back to the bullpen when his cell phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, his eyebrows rose. Talk about a blast from the past, he smiled at some fond memories.

"Deeks." He answered.

"Marty? Long time no talk, buddy!" Joe Spencer had been a stripper at the club where Deeks had earned some money during law school. They'd become friends after Deeks helped him out with some legal issues after Joe'd gotten caught smoking a little weed. He'd returned the favor by helping Deeks get over his stage fright. Karen had taught him how to dance, but Joe had taught him stage presence. His friend had gone on to open a strip club of his own, a very tasteful place that served a mean porterhouse steak. Deeks hadn't been there since he'd started at NCIS, but the two had kept in touch now and again over the years. He realized he hadn't talked to the man in over two years now. He wondered what was up to have him call him out of the blue like this.

"Goes both ways buddy! As you can see, my phone gets incoming calls too!"

"Hey man, yeah, sorry about that! The club is doing really well. So well, in fact, that I just opened a second location on Hollywood Blvd. I haven't had time to breathe over the last year."

"That's great news. Glad to hear you're doing so well."

"Thanks!" There was a pause. "Look, I need to ask you a favor."

"What's up?" Deeks was a little cautious. He couldn't afford to be caught up in anything illegal just days before his wedding.

"I'm having some trouble at the new club. I think someone is skimming the cash register. The receipts just don't add up to the amount of booze we're going through."

"Have you talked to the cops?"

There was a pause. "No. I don't really want the publicity. I was just kind of hoping to find out who it is and get rid of them, quietly."

"What do you want _me_ to do?"

"I was hoping you could come and bartend Friday night? I know you're good at it and I thought maybe you could watch the others to see if you can figure out what's going on? Kinda like an undercover operation."

He thought about it. Then thought about it some more. It would only be one night, help out a friend and keep him from getting nervous as the big day approached. "Cameras?"

"None except outside on the back doors. Not exactly the kind of place some people would want to get caught on camera. Some big names come in now and then. My clubs are known to be discreet."

"Well, guess I can see that. One night, right?"

"Yeah, man, it would mean a lot to me."

"I'll do it. When do you want me to come in?"

"Early tomorrow night so I can point out who's who. Say around 7? We open at 8."

"Okay, I'll see you then!"

"Thanks, Marty, I really do appreciate it! Steak dinner on the house."

"No problem buddy and I'll hold you to that!" They hung up and Deeks walked to his desk, thinking about Friday night. He smiled as he started to plan out his evening. No one would know him there but he figured he could try out a new disguise, really get into the undercover thing with no risk to life or limb. Rubbing his hands together, he started to pack up. He was just shoving his laptop into his messenger bag when the boys came into the bullpen, freshly showered and a little damp looking.

"Still here Deeks?" Callen asked. "Don't you have anything you need to do for Sunday?"

"Just leaving and no, I really am all set."

"I know the girls are going out for Kensi's bachelorette party tomorrow night, Michelle is really looking forward to it. You want to go somewhere for dinner, maybe have a few drinks?" Sam asked.

"Sorry, I literally just made plans with an old friend I haven't seen in a couple of years. Rain check for when we get back?"

"Sure, unless of course the new wife won't let you out to play anymore." Callen smirked at him. Deeks whole face lit up as he heard the term new wife and Callen found himself a little jealous. His relationship with Joelle wasn't really going anywhere and he envied his friends the fact that they'd both found the loves of their lives. He shook it off when he realized both men were looking at him quizzically. He grinned at Deeks and punched him in the shoulder. "Don't worry, if she won't let you out, we'll find a way to break you out!"

"Thanks Callen." Deeks grinned back and then sobered. "Look, you guys, I really want to thank you for agreeing to be part of our wedding; it means a lot to both Kensi and me. Who would have thought seven years ago, that this is where we'd end up?"

Sam grinned. "Not me, I figured you'd be long gone by now." He saw the flash of hurt that crossed Deeks's face and put his hand on the man's shoulder and squeezed, completely serious now. "I was just kidding Deeks. You've shown yourself to be a man whose worthy of our little sister and I'm glad you're part of my family. We're all looking forward to Sunday as there couldn't have been a better ending. I know we can trust you to make her happy. I also want you to know that it's just as important to us that she make you happy."

Deeks blinked a few times as his eyes filled up. Sam noticed and swallowed hard, not happy to find that his eyes were a little teary as well. Callen broke the spell. "Geez, guys. Mushy much?" The three of them stared as each other and Callen chuckled, followed by Sam and then Deeks. The laughter followed Deeks out of the Mission as he made his way home for the day.

~,~,~,~

Friday night he waved goodbye to Kensi when Nell picked her up for the bachelorette party. They were going out to dinner and then dancing, the whole gang of girls. He'd had a hard time not bursting out in laughter when Nell had proudly produced a sash that read 'Bride to Be' and a cheesy tiara with a veil attached to it, for Kensi to wear. He'd seen that she'd been really pleased by the gifts and didn't want to hurt either girl's feelings. He'd taken a couple pictures of the two of them on his cell and made Nell promise to take more during the evening. Once they were gone, he turned to his own plans for the night. Kensi'd asked him what he was going to do and he'd been somewhat honest, saying he'd be seeing an old friend for dinner. Joe _was_ an old friend and _had_ promised that steak dinner. He wasn't really sure why he hadn't told her what he'd agreed to do, other than that he knew she didn't like the idea of him in strip joints. The fact that this was a strip _club_ that was both classy and had men _and_ women dancers, didn't stop it from being what it was. A place where people went to watch someone take off their clothes for money.

Twenty minutes later, he looked in the mirror and raised his eyebrows. He wasn't sure Kensi would even recognize him. He wore a dark brown wig and had pasted on a full lighter brown mustache and beard, neatly trimmed. Joe had told him to wear black pants and a white shirt, that he'd provide a vest for him when he got there, one that all the bartenders and wait staff wore. He'd darkened his eyebrows but the blue eyes staring back at him were startling. He tilted his head at his image and decided to go the whole nine yards, reaching out to pick up the contact lens case. Carefully, he put one in each eye and blinked until they were comfortable. The brown eyed man staring back at him smiled and he found himself looking forward to his little undercover operation.

~,~,~,~


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Deeks walked into Flux II just before seven. A scrawny guy dressed similarly to him stopped him. "We're closed. Come back at eight, like everyone else!"

Deeks smiled at him. "I'm actually here to work tonight. I'm supposed to see a Mr. Spencer about a bartending job?"

The man looked him up and down, narrowing his eyes. "We don't need any more help. You can just head back out to wherever you came from."

"No can do unless I hear that from Mr. Spencer himself. Mind telling him that Chris Sheppard is here?" Chris Sheppard had been the name he'd danced under, afraid to use his real name in case any of his stuffy classmates at Pepperdine got wind of it.

"Wait here." The man strutted away and Deeks decided he would be watching that one very carefully over the course of the night. He seemed entirely too concerned about the fact that there would be a new bartender working with them tonight. When the man returned with a disgruntled look on his face, it was all he could do not to laugh in his face. "Mr. Spencer would like you to come up to his office. This way." He turned on his heel and led Deeks to a second floor office where he knocked on the door. "Mr. Spencer? I have Chris Sheppard here for you." His tone of voice was completely different from the one he'd used with Deeks.

"Come in." Joe stood up and held out his hand. "Chris Sheppard? I'm Joe Spencer. You came highly recommended, thanks for helping us out on such short notice. We have a couple of large parties coming in tonight and need the extra man power. I see you've met Peter?"

"Yes, I have." Deeks turned to the other man. "Thank you for all your _help_ , Peter." He held out his hand and could tell the man didn't want to take it but had no choice seeing as his boss was looking on. The shake was short and Deeks wanted to wipe his hand on his pants when it was over. He restrained himself, not wanting the evening to start off on a worse note than it already had.

"Peter, could you do me a favor and get Mr. Sheppard a vest for tonight? He'll be down as soon as we get the paperwork sorted out." He looked Deeks up and down and said. "I think a large would be about the right size."

"Sure thing Mr. Spencer." The man turned and gave Deeks a dirty look as he left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Well, that could have gone better." Deeks said as he turned back to Joe. He looked him over and decided that his friend looked tired and stressed.

"What do you mean Marty?" Joe stepped forward and pulled his old friend into a quick hug. "Damn, it's good to see you! You look great and so different! I wouldn't have known it was even you if I hadn't recognized the name! Cool disguise!" He laughed delightedly. "What have you been up to lately?"

"Oh, nothing much. Found the love of my life and we're getting married on Sunday, no big deal. Same old, same old." Deeks grinned at him.

"You? Getting married? Man, I never thought I would see the day when those words came out of your mouth! You were always a bit of a player, my friend."

"All it took was the right woman! She's the best thing that's ever happened to me and I still can't believe she said yes!"

"I'm glad for you Marty! Wish I could find the right one, but it's hard to keep the business growing and still get out there and search."

"Well, I wasn't really searching. Never thought it would happen to me either, but we were thrown together for work. Started out not really liking each other but gradually became friends, then best friends, then suddenly one day, I realized that she was my whole world."

"Good for you! I'd like to meet her one day."

"I'd like that too. I think she'd like you. Just, no stories about the old days, okay? She already gives me enough grief over it."

"She knows?"

"Yeah. I sorta did something I shouldn't have one time and I owed her a fact about me that no one else knew. I really wish I'd just made something up, but she probably would've figured out I'd lied."

"Sounds like my kinda girl!"

"Maybe I won't introduce you two after all!" They laughed for a moment and then Joe frowned.

"What did you mean earlier by things could've gone better?"

"Your pal Peter. Not too happy that you brought in another bartender. Might be he has something to hide."

"Peter? He's been with me since I started, I can't believe he'd steal from me."

"It's always hard to believe when someone you trust betrays you, but maybe it's not him. Fill me in on everyone?"

"Sure. Come over here." Joe walked to the curtains behind his desk and pushed them aside. The office overlooked the whole club, the circular bar in the middle, dance floors on either side with tables and chairs set up around them. "So you know Peter Walters. The blonde man over by the taps is Steve Taylor and the red headed woman is Marsy McLean. Steve's been with me since we opened this branch and Marsy came in shortly after. So both of them have been here about six months. The shortages just started happening about two months ago. At first, it just seemed like maybe one of them was a little heavy handed on the drinks but then it started to get more noticeable. I really hope you figure out which one it is tonight. I'd like to put this behind me."

"Anyone else who's not working tonight? What about the wait staff?"

"No, everyone works Friday and Saturday nights. During the week, when it's a little quieter, I usually only have two bartenders on hand. The wait staff doesn't have access to the cash register."

"Could still be pocketing some cash from drink orders, but probably not to the extent that it would become so obvious. Ok then. Let's get this show on the road, boss!"

"I like the sound of that!" The two friends grinned at each other and then Deeks turned to leave. He stopped when Joe said. "Marty? I really do appreciate your doing this!"

"Yeah? Like I said yesterday, just remember you owe me that steak dinner!"

"I will. Maybe we could make it a dinner for three with you, your girl and me? Let me get to know her and get to know you again?"

"I'd like that and I think she would too. It's a deal!" Deeks left and went downstairs to the bar. Peter was standing there with a vest in his hands. He thrust it into Deeks's hands and turned away, saying nothing. "Thanks." Deeks muttered under his voice. He put the vest on and went behind the bar to get familiar with where the different types of booze was. He eyed the set up and thought it was pretty well organized. Should make it easy on the bartenders.

Peter came up behind him. "We usually have one bartender at each side of the bar and one working the drinks orders from the floor, with occasional help from the other two if it gets busy. With you here, we'll split the bar area into thirds. You'll be the one designated to help with the drink orders if it gets as busy as the boss seems to think it will." His tone was back to surly.

Deeks knew that doing the drinks orders meant no tips. The wait staff got them and generally didn't share with the bartenders. Waiting on the customers at the bar, however, could get a good bartender a big haul on a crowded night. He decided to play nice. "Sounds good."

"Hmmph." Peter turned away and Deeks put a hand on his arm to stop him. "What?"

"Look, I'm not here to take anyone's job away. I'm here for one night to do a favor for a friend of my boss's."

"Doesn't _your_ boss need you on a Friday night?" Peter looked at him suspiciously.

"Usually, yes, but we're closed down this week. Boss takes his family on vacation twice per year and we all get a week's paid vacation while the bar is shut down. I only took this gig cause the boss asked me to and he's been good to me over the years. Apparently he and your boss have known each other a long time and he asked me to do this for him, as a favor. Doesn't hurt to get in good with the man who signs your paycheck and some extra cash always comes in handy." Deeks put on his best innocent grin and Peter finally seemed to relax.

"Fine. I have to admit, I was wondering if the boss was auditioning some new blood. This place is a goldmine and the customers tip really well. I was worried I'd have to start looking for a new gig."

"Nah, not because of me! I have no intention of leaving where I am, got it too good. I'll be out of your hair after tonight."

Peter put his hand out again, this time willingly and Deeks took it. He'd still be watching Mr. Walters.

~,~,~,~,~

The club opened at eight and it got crowded right away. Some of the tables were reserved for parties, but those that weren't, filled up fast. The crowd around the bar was always two to three deep and all the bartenders were kept hopping. Deeks did his job but watched the others carefully, without seeming to. It didn't take long to figure out it was Steve Taylor who was skimming the register. He'd ring up the order and look like he was putting the bills in the till, but every third or fourth order, the money would end up in his pocket. He took his cell phone out when he was on a break, on the pretext of getting a text and was able to get a short video of Taylor's extracurricular activities. It should be enough to allow Joe to fire him without repercussions. It was actually enough to get him arrested if Joe wanted to pursue it.

A little after ten, a large group of women entered and his jaw dropped open. He recognized the gang of girls and now knew what Nell and Sheila had been so upset about yesterday. Kensi wasn't a prude, far from it, but this wasn't her idea of a good time. He knew Nell had made the arrangements for the bachelorette party as the Maid of Honor and that this is not where she would have picked. The only thing he could think of was that one, or both, of the Tiffany's that had cancelled the other reservation and booked this one in its place. He shook his head at how little those women knew his Kensi. The woman they had known had outgrown them by leaps and bounds over the years.

He watched them over the next hour as dancers came and went. Kensi was smiling and laughing with her friends, but he could see the strained look around her eyes. He also watched Nell watch her. Kensi studiously kept her eyes away from the naked men on stage while the Tiffany's, Kat, Mindy and Mandy playfully pushed dollar bills into g-strings. The rest of the gang seemed as little interested as Nell and Kensi. He had a hard time not laughing when one of the guys got a little too close for comfort to Laura. She looked like she'd swallowed something sour. He was only sorry that the bachelorette party had turned out to not be as much fun as Kensi had been hoping. Suddenly, he had a thought and grinned. Things were slowing down and he went over to Peter. "Hey man, I'm going to take my dinner break now while it's a bit quiet, if that's okay with you? I'm starving."

Peter had come around when he saw how efficiently Deeks had been doing his job and, feeling more secure now that he knew the man wasn't out for his job, was feeling magnanimous. "Sure Chris, go ahead. We'll be fine for an hour."

"Thanks man." Deeks turned and made his way upstairs where the staff had a break room. Instead of going into it, he kept on to Joe's office. He knocked on the door and entered when Joe called out that it was okay to come in.

"Hey Marty, what's up?"

Deeks walked over and pulled out his cell phone. "I know who's been stealing from you. You were right, it isn't Peter, it's Steve Taylor." He played the video and was sorry to see the sad look come over his friend's face.

"Damn, I was kind of hoping I was wrong. I'll fire him tonight after we close."

"You can press charges, if you want."

"No, I just want it over with."

"If that's what you want. I'll stick around when you do it, watch your back." Deeks paused. "Look, Joe, can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure, anything!"

"Well…" He wasn't sure what to say. "Look, my fiancé's bachelorette party ended up here tonight."

"You've got to be kidding me?!"

"Yeah, well, welcome to my life, seems like stuff like this happens to me all the time. Remind me to fill you in on what happened when I went to Vegas for my bachelor party."

"Sounds interesting! What's the favor?"

"This isn't really Kensi's thing. I mean, she likes it when I dance for her, but it's different, you know?"

"You dance for her?" Joe's tone was teasing and Deeks turned bright red.

"Yeah, so?"

"So, nothing! Whatever spices up your bedroom!"

"Joe!"

They looked at each other and burst out laughing. Wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes, Joe looked at him. "I think I can guess what your favor is. Something along the lines of one of my private rooms and a costume?" Deeks went red again but nodded. Joe grabbed him by the arm and started to lead him from the office. "I think I have just the thing!"

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	3. Chapter 3

A/N - this one is a little long but I couldn't seem to find a natural breaking spot to split into two.

A/N2 - I try to respond to each person who reviews (and if I missed you, I'm sorry!) but with guests, you can't. So...guest reviewers, consider yourselves thanked! It means a lot to me that people take the time and let me know how I'm doing!

A/N3 - last one! Thanks to honus47 for giving me a kick in the pants on the first version of this chapter. It wasn't up to par and she let me know it. If you like this ending, you have her to thank!

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Chapter 3

Joe led Deeks down a back stairway that led to the dressing rooms. He entered the men's room and wandered through the guys who were present, in various stages of undress, absently acknowledging the greetings of each one as he moved to a closed door and opened it to reveal a huge closet full of different costumes. He took a breakaway cop's uniform and held it up. "Nah, too much like real life." He put it back and searched around some more. He chortled when he saw what he was looking for. He pulled out a couple items, rummaged around some more and then finally turned back to Deeks, holding a full face motorcycle helmet, leather jacket, biker boots, leather gloves and some leather chaps. Deeks swallowed a little and then thought about dancing for Kensi in them and found he was breathing harder. He reached out and took them from his friend. "I think these will do nicely."

"Good! I even keep a couple new g-strings on hand for when one of the guys has an…accident with his." Joe turned around and rustled through a drawer, pulling out a black pair that should fit his old friend. "Come on, let's get you set up."

"You know, maybe this isn't such a good idea. I mean, how am I going to get her into that private room? She'll never go willingly."

"Leave that to me."

"Yeah, not so sure about that."

"Marty, come on, this will be fun! It will be like that scene from True Lies when Jamie Leigh dances for Arnold, not knowing it's her husband."

"Yeah, and look how well that turned out for him!"

"Oh come on, it's not like she's going to grab a phone and hit you over the head with it."

"She wouldn't need a phone, she can kick your ass and mine with nothing _and_ without breaking a sweat."

"Oh, that's right, you said you met at work. She a cop too?"

"No, federal agent, skilled with knives, guns and hand to hand combat."

"Guns?"

"Sniper. One of the best!"

"Sniper? Geez, Marty! I have _got_ to meet this fiancé of yours!" They started laughing as Joe dragged Deeks over to a quieter, more private, part of the room. "Here, now get dressed and leave your things here, I'll take care of them. I'll be waiting for you outside." He turned and left. Deeks looked at the costume laid out before him and started to undress before he could change his mind, still not sure that he wouldn't regret this very shortly. He'd forgotten just how uncomfortable the g-strings were. When he was finally dressed, he wandered over to look in the mirror. The chaps left very little to the imagination when one was wearing nothing but said g-string under it. He took a deep breath and put the helmet on. There was no way Kensi would recognize him. He just hoped she didn't kill him before, or maybe even after, she figured it out. He left the room, blushing a deep red under the helmet when Joe's mouth dropped open when he saw him.

"Don't say it." His words were muffled by the helmet.

"Damn, Marty! You sure you don't want to give up being a cop and come work for me? You've filled out since the old days when we used to work together!"

"I'm sure." He growled back.

"Okay, but man, you could really pack them in for me in that outfit!"

"Joe! I was already having second thoughts about this. You're making me have thirds!"

"Sorry, sorry! Come on, the private rooms have their own stairway and entrances. No one else will see you."

"Thank god!"

Joe led him down the stairs and into a small room with a dance pole dead center, comfortable looking sofas surrounding it. Deeks removed the helmet as Joe showed him how to operate the mood lighting and music. Deeks picked out a song, the one he'd stripped to at Cassie and Paula's wedding in the privacy of their room. He was surprisingly calm now. Joe went to leave and then turned back.

"Look, Marty, I won't give you the talk about nothing happens here except the dancing and whatever stripping you feel comfortable with. I run a respectable club, there's nothing more than that going on in these rooms." He pointed at the signs that read 'No touching the dancers.' "I'd like to ask you to honor that. I could get into trouble if things get out of hand and it gets out, even if it's between two people who are engaged."

"I know Joe, nothing will happen." He grinned at his friend. "At least not here." Joe laughed and left him alone. He looked at the helmet and put it back on, not sure how long it would take his friend to convince Kensi to enter the private room. He just wished he felt better about how this would all go.

~,~,~,~

Kensi was doing her best to have fun but this just wasn't her scene. When the girls had told her there would be dancing, she'd assumed they meant that they'd be doing the dancing, not the half-naked or yikes, fully naked, men on stage. She didn't really care about stripping, it didn't bother her, but she was uncomfortable being here, when she knew Deeks was waiting for her at home. It made her feel a little like she was cheating on him somehow. She knew he used to do this for a living when he was trying to make ends meet in college and that he'd found it humiliating, it just wasn't his personality. For all his posturing, he was kind of shy. She teased him about it and he took it in stride, even dancing for her in private on several occasions. Her eyes went a little glazed over when she remembered the strip tease he'd done for her when they had stayed overnight after Cassie and Paula's wedding.

"Earth to Kensi! Come on, Kay Kay, what's going on in there?" Mandy was a lot on the tipsy side and she threw her arm around Kensi's shoulders. "Having fun sweetie?"

"Um, sure, sure, it's great." Kensi knew she wasn't very convincing.

Mandy looked at her, trying to get the two Kensi's to merge into one. "What's the matter Kens? Missing a certain someone?"

"Yeah, kind of."

"Hey, you know what?" She leaned a little closer and slurred into her ear. "I wouldn't mind seeing that hunk of yours up there on stage! I bet he'd be one hell of a dancer, all those muscles…yummy!"

"Mandy!"

"Oh come on, Kay Kay, you know all the girls drool over him and he doesn't even see them, he only has eyes for you!" Suddenly Mandy wasn't as drunk as she had been. "You're damn lucky, you know that?" She sounded sad now.

"I know, Mandy, I know. You'll find someone, I know you will."

"Hmmph. Starting to get a little long in the tooth to find someone who looks at me like he looks at you."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean he looks at you like he can't believe what he's seeing, like he's afraid you'll disappear in a puff of smoke and leave him alone."

"He does?"

"Yes, he does! He has it bad for you my friend."

"I have it bad for him too." She responded quietly.

"I know you do. I watch the two of you when you're together and it's like the rest of the world ceases to exist. It's really bad form you know, when the rest of us _are_ there and _do_ exist!" She poked Kensi in the side, trying to lighten the mood a little. Kensi laughed, as Mandy'd hoped. She looked behind her as a man approached them, his eyes on Kensi.

"Ma'am?"

"Yes?" Kensi replied.

He held out his hand. "My name is Joe Spencer and I own this place. I understand you're celebrating an upcoming wedding?"

Kensi shook his hand as she replied. "Yes, I'm getting married on Sunday."

"Well, I just wanted to stop by and offer my congratulations. I also have something special for the bride to be, if you'd come with me?"

"Where?" Kensi's suspicious nature reared its head.

"It's a surprise. One I can guarantee you'll like."

"Go ahead Kay Kay! Live a little, come Sunday your entire life will change." Mandy gave her a little push towards Joe.

Against her better will, worried she was being a stick in the mud, she said. "Fine, I'll go." After all, it wasn't like anything would happen. She turned back to the man who'd introduced himself as the owner. "Lead on."

Joe turned and Kensi followed, wondering what she was getting herself into. She really just wanted to go home and crawl into bed with Deeks, not necessarily to sleep. Her face flushed a little and she wondered if the place was getting to her. When they stopped at a door at the back of the club, she frowned, her hand unconsciously going to the gun that would normally be shoved in the back of her waistband. At least she had a small gun in her clutch. She held onto it tightly as the man opened the door and gestured her through. She stepped in and it closed behind her, with him on the other side. She'd just started to reach for the doorknob, when the music started. She knew that song, she'd just been thinking about it. Warily, she turned and almost gasped when she saw the tall, helmeted man standing in front of her, dressed in leather. Or at least, mostly dressed. She wondered which one of her soon to be ex-friends had set this up. She wished he'd picked a different song, this one had special meaning to her. He started to dance and her first thought was, oh hell no!

She turned to go but he danced around her, coming between her and the door. She wanted nothing more than to leave this room but she felt a familiar heat in her stomach, a reaction that no one but Deeks had been able to create, for more years than she cared to think about. She narrowed her eyes and thought about it, completely ignoring the man dancing in front of her. Deeks was getting frustrated as she seemed to be off in another world, not paying any attention to him. He danced a little closer, invading her personal space. He wasn't stupid, he watched carefully for any tells that she was about to put a hurting on him.

Deep in her thoughts, she realized that this seemed familiar. When his hands caressed himself down his chest, the jacket opened a little and she saw the two gunshot scars. The ones from when he'd been targeted and shot at Sandune's, to get to her. She felt a rise in anger and not a little hurt as she thought, Deeks! Her eyes narrowed again as she watched him dance for her. Two could play at this game. She settled herself on one of the handy couches, putting her arms along the back of it, crossing her legs and almost purred as she said. "Yes! I do love a man in leather!" She wasn't surprised when his dancing hitched. He still didn't know that she knew. She watched him get back into the rhythm and opened her clutch, pulling out some bills. An old Foreigner's song ran through her head and she asked. "Do you do more than dance?" She wasn't all that surprised when he stumbled a little.

She leaned forward and caressed his leg. He danced just out of her reach and pointed at the sign, surprised when she laughed. "Oh, come on, you know that's just there for show! I bet you've done a hell of a lot more than dance in this room! I'm getting married in a couple of days and this may be my last chance to have a little fun. I can make it worth your while!" She reached into her clutch and pulled out more money. She waved it between them. "It's all yours…in return for a little…fun."

Deeks listened to her and wondered, did she know who he was? He wasn't sure and the words coming out of her mouth hurt, a lot. He thought about the music he'd picked and the way he was dancing and suddenly, he was sure. She knew it was him and was playing with him. He grew more confident and danced his way towards her again. When she reached out and grabbed him between the legs, he almost collapsed, feeling his body react to her touch, like it always did.

Kensi wasn't sure what possessed her to grab him like she did. She just reached out and did it. She felt him react to her, instantly. She narrowed her eyes and bit back on the inclination to grip him just a little bit harder in retaliation for his actions. She released him and stood up. He stopped dancing and she reached out to caress his chest, once again ignoring the signs about no touching. She reached up and pulled the helmet off. When she came face to face with the bearded, brown haired, brown eyed man, she freaked out a little, fear buzzing down her spine. She'd been so sure it was Deeks, but now she was faced with a stranger who thought she wanted, well, something more than dancing. She punched him hard in the stomach, and when he doubled over in pain, she turned and bolted for the door.

"Kensi!" He gasped. She stopped short, she'd know that voice anywhere, it _was_ Deeks!

She turned, furious that he was here, furious that he'd scared her, furious that he'd made her hurt him. "I knew it! I knew it was you! What the hell, Deeks? Is this some kind of bizarre payback for us following you to Vegas? How many times do I need to apologize for that?"

"No, baby, it was nothing like that!" He wheezed. Damn, she packed a wallop but he felt a deep relief at her words that she'd known it was him all along.

"Then what was it? You followed us here and decided it would be a good idea for you to do a strip tease for me in a public club? What did you think was going to happen?"

"No, Kens, I didn't follow you here! I was already here before you even got here! I had no idea this was where you were going tonight! I was just doing a favor for a friend, you coming in here surprised the hell out of me!"

"Oh, please! You expect me to believe that?"

"Yes, I do! Look, Joe Spencer is an old friend. When I was stripping to make money for law school, he took me under his wing, made me feel better about what I was doing. When he asked for a simple favor, I couldn't say no!" He was still bent over, his hands on his knees as he struggled to pull in more air.

She crossed her arms across her chest, not wanting to believe him but somehow knowing he spoke the truth, now more worried about what said favor had been. Dancing? "What kind of favor?" She finally asked.

He straightened a bit more, his breathing finally evening out. "He suspected someone was stealing from him. He just wanted me to come in tonight, bartend and see if I could figure out who it was. You were going to be out most of the night and I figured, why not? I could help an old friend and I knew I'd be lonely with you gone. Sam and Callen kept asking me yesterday if I was nervous. I wasn't, until they asked. I figured this would give me something to do to take my mind off things. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw you guys walk in. I watched you and it seemed like you weren't having a good time, like you were actually miserable. I talked Joe into this, into letting me dance for you. I thought...I thought maybe I could make it up to you a little."

She recognized that crestfallen look. She saw it whenever he tried to do something nice for her and it went sideways, either because he didn't plan it well or just because of the craziness of their lives. She lowered her arms. "Really?"

"Yeah, baby, I just thought we could turn a miserable night into a little fun." He stumbled over the word fun, remembering what she'd said to him when he still wasn't sure she knew it was him.

She sidled up to him and ran a hand down the full brown beard. It was a different look for him and it wasn't all bad, still and all, she missed her scruffy, sun touched surfer dude. She kissed his neck and then whispered in his ear. "So, you decided to let Magic Marty come out to play to make me feel better?" She realized her mistake the moment his body tensed up.

"Kensi, you know I hate that name. I didn't have a stage name when I was doing this. It was just a job and a way to make ends meet." He said stiffly.

She lightly bit his ear lobe and said throatily. "I know, but you'll always be magic to me." She feel him relax against her and she stepped back a little.

She smiled at him and changed the subject. "So, did you get the guy who was stealing?" She let him know she believed him and was now curious how things had gone.

"Yeah, caught him on video. Joe's going to fire him after the club closes tonight. I told him I'd be here to have his back."

"How about we both back him up?" She leaned into him again and he looked down at her, recognizing that look in her eyes.

"Yeah, how about we do just that?" He growled. He leaned down and kissed her, pushing her back towards the couch, all his friend's warnings gone. The back of her legs hit the couch and she dropped down onto it, their lips forced apart. He stood proudly in front of her and she let her eyes travel his body, unconsciously licking her lips. He started to rotate his hips again in time to the music and her eyes glazed over. She reached up and grabbed the edges of the leather jacket, pulling him down on top of her. Their lips locked. The room disappeared and nothing existed but the two of them. When the door to the room slammed open, they broke apart, startled.

Nell's eyes were so big, they just about took up her whole face. She'd just known something would go wrong tonight, she'd been furious when one of the Tiffany's, she could never remember which one was which, had cancelled the reservation she'd so carefully booked weeks ago and booked here instead. When she'd called her original club to say it was a mistake, she'd been told the room had already been rebooked and that they had nothing else available for tonight.

She'd watched the owner take Kensi away and had followed their progress through the club carefully, noting the door they'd gone through. She'd worried when he'd shut the door behind her friend and walked away with a smirk on his face. She'd been watching and waiting for the door to open again, getting more and more agitated when Kensi didn't come back out. She'd finally given in and made her way over to the room. She'd put her ear up against the door but couldn't hear anything but music. Deciding it was time to do something, she'd yanked the door open to the sight of Kensi on her back with a strange, half dressed man lying on top of her on the couch. He jumped up as she growled and headed towards him. "Leave her alone! Get the hell away from her!" She raised her purse and swung it at him. He danced out of the way and tried to put as much distance as possible between him and the red headed spitfire who thought she was protecting her friend.

Remembering how he was dressed and realizing that Nell didn't recognize him, at least not yet, he turned his eyes to Kensi; silently begging her to not let on it was him. Dressed in chaps, and not much else, was fine in front of Kensi, but the idea that Nell would see him this way, distressed him. Kensi's eyes danced with mischief as she cocked an eyebrow at him. When Nell turned back to her, checking to make sure her friend was okay, he mouthed a desperate "Please!" at her. She nodded imperceptibly and turned to reassure her friend that she was fine, that nothing had really happened. He took that moment to escape out the back door.

"Nell, I'm fine, nothing happened!"

"Well, it didn't look like it to me! I'm going to lodge a complaint with the owner! Wait! He was in on this! I'm going to get his license revoked!" Nell's voice took on a hysterical tone and Kensi felt worried for the first time. She knew Deeks counted the owner as a friend, even felt he owed him something and that the man had only been doing her fiancé a favor in exchange for the one done for him.

"Nell, take a deep breath! It's true he was doing a private dance for me but he was…somewhat uncoordinated. It was all I could do not to laugh!" She silently apologized to Deeks in her head. "He must be fairly new. He managed to trip over his chaps and fall onto me. That was when you came busting in. Look! He's already fled the room! Although, I'm kind of surprised he made it out without falling again!" She laughed.

Nell calmed down as she took in the fact that they were really alone. She took a deep breath and searched Kensi's face. The laughter and happiness she saw there, led her to believe her friend was telling the truth. "Really?"

"Really. I just wish I could've gotten it on video!" She chortled, really wishing she'd gotten it on video, just not for the reasons she was telling her friend. "Come on, let's get back to the girls and have some fun!" She pulled Nell out of the room and looked back in, feeling a little sorry that they'd been interrupted. She made a mental note to find a motorcycle store when they got back from their honeymoon. She knew Deeks still had the helmet from his motorcycle debacle but she found she liked the anonymity the full faced one had given him. She shivered a little and not because she was cold. A smile lit up her face as she turned to follow Nell back to her friends.

Outside the room, Deeks pulled away from the door where he was listening behind, drawing a deep breath of relief. He looked at his watch and realized his dinner break was just about up and he still needed to change back into his regular clothes. He changed in record time and made his way back to the bar just shy of being late. He was welcomed back and let himself get lost in fulfilling the drink orders, trying to forget how close he'd come to being caught by Nell. A smile quirked his mouth whenever he thought about what had happened in that room before the fiery whirlwind had entered.

A voice interrupted his reverie. "Can I have a Cosmopolitan, please?" The customers usually went through the waitstaff, but when it was busy, some of them didn't wait and came up to the bar to order for themselves. He swallowed hard and took a moment to compose his face, finally looking up into the face of said whirlwind. He nodded at her and turned to make her drink, not noticing the narrowed eyes behind him. She watched him expertly make the drink and turn back to hand it to her. He looked familiar. She wondered if he was the man who had been dancing for Kensi. She hadn't really gotten a good look at him, more worried about keeping an eye on Kensi. "Do you dance here too?" She asked sweetly, wondering if she could get him to admit it.

"Me? No, I'm just a bartender. I don't even work here, just covering for a friend tonight." He deepened his voice and kept his normal drawl from it. She took her drink and put some money on the bar. He turned, made change and handed it back to her. She threw a couple ones on the bar for the tip and turned away. She was halfway back to the girls when she turned back to find him watching her. When he realized she'd turned, he made himself busy with other orders, forcing a laugh at something one of the other bartenders said to him. Nell turned back to find Kensi worriedly watching her. Something clicked and her mouth formed a perfect O. She turned back to the bar again but he wasn't visible anymore. Another bartender was standing where he'd been. It couldn't be, could it?

~,~,~,~,~

Deeks quietly entered the house, knowing Kensi was probably already home, not sure if she was sleeping. While she'd wanted to help him back up Joe when he fired Steve Taylor, the girls had dragged her out and she'd really had no good reason to stay. It hadn't gone well, the man denying it all, finally becoming belligerent and throwing a punch at Joe. Deeks had stepped in, grabbing him and forcing his arm behind his back, bending him over a table and shoving his phone with the video of him skimming the register in his face. "Look, dude, leave quietly and just be happy Joe isn't pressing charges! You'd never get another job if it got out that you steal from your employers!" The man had deflated and they'd walked him to the door, watching as he walked away. "Joe? He have a key?"

"No, only Peter has a key."

"Good. Still, you might want to beef up your security."

Joe sighed and nodded. "I owe you that steak dinner Marty. Make sure you bring your new wife with you and it's on the house for both of you."

"I'll hold you to that old friend." They shook hands and Deeks turned, finding Peter in his way. He sighed, wondering what now.

Peter looked at him and tilted his head. He finally stuck out his hand. "Thanks for helping out tonight. What should I call you? Chris or Marty?"

Deeks shook his hand. "Deeks is fine."

"Who are you, really?"

"Just an old friend of Joe's, here to help out."

Peter smiled at him and shook his head, knowing that wasn't the whole story. "Any time you're looking for a job bartending, we could use you here. You're good."

Deeks smiled back, relieved that the night was over. "Thanks, Peter, but I think my regular job is less dangerous." Joe snorted behind him and Peter raised an eyebrow. The way the man had moved and taken Steve down so quickly, smacked of law enforcement or military, but if the man wanted to keep it quiet, he'd respect it. Deeks had waved goodbye and finally headed home.

Now that he was here, he quietly threw his keys into the dish waiting for him. He turned and realized the lights were on low. He started forward and noticed something on the floor. He leaned down and picked up a rose petal. He blinked a couple times and looked up, finally seeing the trail that led to the staircase. They continued up the stairs and he swallowed, hard. He'd been so afraid that, once she had time to think about it some more, she'd be angry with him. He rubbed his stomach, it still hurt where she'd punched him. He silently made his way up the stairs, following the petals to their bedroom. He entered quietly, to find it empty but candles were burning all around the bed, the room smelling like heaven. He wondered when she'd had time to put all this together. He heard a click and that song came on over the speakers sitting on the night stand. His eyebrows rose up far enough to disappear into his bangs. A quiet sound behind him had him swinging around to find Kensi leaning up seductively against the door jamb, dressed in a skimpy piece of lingerie he'd never seen.

"Kens?" His voice came out higher and squeakier than he would have liked.

She didn't say anything, just began to dance his way, her hands wandering over her body and he felt like he was on fire. His eyes narrowed and his breath became shallow as he watched her dance around the room. When he couldn't stand it any longer, he reached for her but she danced away, pointing at the wall. He looked where she pointed and saw a hand printed sign taped to the dresser mirror. 'No touching the dancers.' He growled and looked back at her, seeing her eyes dance with mischief and something more. She danced closer and he reached out to grab her. This time, she went into his arms willingly and he backed her up to the dresser, reaching out one hand and pulling the sign down, crumpling it and throwing it on the floor. This time she took the initiative and pushed him towards the bed until it hit him behind the knees and he dropped onto it. He had to smile at the symmetry. He watched as she swayed a little more in time with the music before she started to climb up his body until she was straddling his hips.

"Surprised?" She asked throatily.

"Hell yeah." He reached up to draw her down into a lingering kiss and the night fell away.

~,~,~,~


End file.
